A Tower of Pastel Spools

I tipped out a small tin of pastel embroidery threads onto the wooden floor because my fingers wanted to stack something solid. The bright wooden spools rolled in different directions, making a soft clatter against my beads. I chose three—pale mint, baby pink, and buttercup yellow. Stacking the rounded mint spool on top of the pink base was tricky; it wobbled and toppled twice, which made a sudden hot prickle rise up in my chest. I stopped, pressed my plush palms flat against the cool wood floor, and counted four slow breaths. Then, using both hands carefully, I balanced the mint spool flat and crowned it with the yellow one. The little tower stands perfectly straight now.